Last weekend I finally received the results of the ACCA exams I sat at the beginning of December. I had passed 2 of the 3 so I am happy with that. I have 3 Skills modules left (the exam I failed plus 2 others) until I can officially call myself 'Part Qualified', I then have a further 5 Professional modules until I am fully qualified.
For anyone thinking about starting to study ACCA, I have some info and tips for you.
Check your exemptions. If you are AAT qualified you will be exempt from modules F1, F2 & F3 (I won't list all the modules here but they can be found on the ACCA website), if you have a relevant degree then you will be exempt from further modules, you would need to look into that as it will vary from degree to degree. From what I have observed in classes, AAT will prepare you better for studying ACCA.
You can sit the exams in any order. If you do need to sit F1-F3 you have to do so before you move on to the next set, or Skills Modules which are F4-F9. These can be sat in any order, I studied F6 & F8 first, then F4 (the exam I failed in December) & F5, leaving me F4 to resit and also F7 and F9. I have tried to work it so that I do a 'wordy' paper alongside a 'numbers' paper.
Study in a way which suits you. There are various different course providers, all offering different study methods such as classroom learning or distance learning, tuition course, revision courses and question based days or QBDs. I need a classroom situation as I do not have the discipline to self study. If you choose classroom study but can only attend 1 block of classes I would suggest the revisions blocks, I am sure that I learn more on these than I do on the tuition blocks.
Revise as little or as much as you know you need to do. I was advised to create a study plan once revision courses started. Work out how many weeks or days to the exams and decide how many questions you are going to attempt in each of your home study sessions. I didn't do this. I also listened to others in my group saying that they were doing 3 hours revision every night and 6 hours each day at weekends. If this works for you then go for it, I personally think that this is too much, particularly if you are working full time as well. I won't embarrass myself by saying how much revision I did, but it worked for me.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Unless your contract states that you cannot have more than a certain number of resits, you have 10 years to complete a maximum of 14 exams for which there are currently 2 sittings each year.
But most of all, enjoy your studies, I actually looked forward to classes more than work sometimes!
This week I have been in Birmingham again on the second of my revision courses for ACCA. It was a four day course this time and I felt so drained at the end.
Tomorrow I have a Question Based Day (QBD) in preparation of next Monday's exam. I don't really rate the QBDs but they are included in my course fee so I go. On a QBD you sit an exam, but you do it question by question to exam timing.
You do the first question, that is then whisked away for marking whilst you complete the second. You then get the marked papers for the first question back and then do the third, and so on.
Now in an exam, you can do the questions in any order, in fact this is encouraged. So you choose your strongest topics and work down to your weakest. In a QBD if you can't answer a particular question, there is no coming back to it, you just sit there panicing!.
Because I have been in Birmingham, nothing much else has gone on.
Apart from last night was the much awaited and much hyped Day Of The Doctor. And I was a bit disappointed. It seemed such an opportunity lost. And, spoilers sweetie, why was it that John Hurt's Doctor appeared to be regenerating? Wouldn't he already have done that? Surely it should have been Matt Smith who changed?
This week, apart from tomorrow, I am back at work so normal service resumes. Tuesday is weigh in number 3 for the Pounds for Pounds charity weight loss, I am not expecting a weight loss this week, I will be happy with staying the same as last week!
This week has seen me in Birmingham on a revision course for one of my forthcoming ACCA exams and it was hard going. I have another revision course this coming week and 2 weeks on Monday is my first exam of this sitting! Oh, poo.
The Birmingham Christmas Market has opened this week too which makes getting to the train station fun. You know that scene in every zombie movie ever where there are 100s of zombies stumbling along and one or two humans are trying to blend in? That's how I have felt.
I wasn't actually trying to blend in, but I physically could not move any faster than a shuffle and I was penned in on every side. It was not fun. I eventually managed to nip down a side street and away from the crowd.
Only five more evenings to get through, I will try not to kill anyone.
I have to say though, although the market is called the Frankfurt market, I did not hear one German accent, or see one German registered vehicle.
There was a Belgian Hot Chocolate van, noodle bars, falafal, stalls selling ostrich burgers, jerk chicken, none of which I believe are German.
The beer stalls were doing good business, I do think it is the novelty of being able to walk around with a pint in their hands that was attracting people, it certainly wasn't the price.
Majority of the craft stalls looked like they had all gone to the same warehouse to fill up.
I imagine that it would nice to walk around with friends, and stop now and then for a drink or something to eat, but when I am on my own and it is between me and home I have to say I am not impressed.
